Shoe-polishing apparatus



R. V. RICKCORD.

SHOE POLISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 5. 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1- IIVVENTOH REGINALD l4 K/c/(ro/w A TTOR/VEVS WITH/E8858 @Qwab/JM flay/5% w R. v. RICKGORD. SHOE POLISHING APPARATUS.

1,41 1,935. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5,1921. Apr. 4,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- l i 5; #3 Y 1 3/ w 3 a a 53 32 b 2 I 1%.E. by i IIWE n03 l REGINALD 1 RIC/(cow w: lam/mafia W [I 3 $5 ATTORNEYS H. V. RICKCORD.

' SHOE POLISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 5, [921. 1 ,41 1 ,935, Patented Apr.'4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- MC/QM W MA I ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REGINALD V. BICKCORD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOE-POLISHING APPARATUS.

Be it known that I, REGINALD V. RICKCORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Man hattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shoe-Polishing Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription.

This invention relates to an improvement in shoe polishing apparatus and contemplates a means for facilitating the brushing operation in the polishing of shoes which operation, when accomplished by hand, consumes the greatest amount of time and labor.

As devices of this character necessitate separate brushing elements for polishing tan and black shoes, it is therefore a further object of the invention to provide a novel means for mounting and supporting a plurality of pairs of brushing elements for tan and black shoes whereby the same may be selectively brought into juxtaposition with respect to the foot rests of the apparatus without necessitating the removing and changing of the brushes.

A further aim and object in view resides in the provision of novel means for selectively controlling the operation of each set or pair of brushing elements, and means for supporting the wire for the same in such a manner as to prevent entanglement thereof when the brushes are shifted.

As a further object and advantage, the invention aims to provide an apparatus of the character described which is comparatively simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is thoroughly reliable and highly efficient in its purpose.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed and by variations in the phraseology of the same. i

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an apparatus constructed in accord- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

5,1921. Serial No. 512,986.

ance with the invention taken approximately on the line 1-1.of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

1* 1g. 3 1s a plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view of the wir ing system for controlling the power driven brushing elements.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of one of the brushing elements and the mounting therefor, parts being broken away and shown in section to disclose the underlying structure.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same.

F1g. 7 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken approximately on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 designates generally a booth or stand provided with a plurality of seats 11 and sets of foot rests 12 arranged side by side for the accommodation of the customers. The booth consists of a plurality of parallel spaced uprights 13 which are secured to the floor at their lower ends and braced from a rear wall 14 by means of the horizontal rails 15. Preferably the seats or stools 11 and the foot rests 12 are supported from stepped platforms 16 and 17 separated by a vertical wall 18 having cutawayportions 19 to perm t of the positioning of the customers feet on the foot rest. The booth 10 is further provided with side walls 20 extending from the rear wall to the corner uprights. A

transverse coping 21 is arranged at the top ofthe booth in. front of the uprights 13 for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth. The uprights 13 are further braced by the horizontal stringers 22v connected respectively at their opposite ends .to the uprights ap proximately at their vertical centers and coin boxes 23' are arranged thereon for the reception of the fee charged for the polishlng operation.

Power driven brushes 24. are employed. the same being arranged in pairs whereby the operator may rapidly accomplish the desired result. Preferably the brushes Qatarc mounted directly on the shaft of a motor 25 enclosed by a housing 26, which housing is swivelly mounted at diametricallyopposite points as at 27 in the legs ofa yoke 28. The housings are provided with manipulating handles 29 by which the operator may properly manipulate the brush. The gist of the present invention resides in the manner of mounting the brushes and controlling the same whereby in a booth as illustrated for the accommodation of two customers, two sets of brushes only are required, one for use in connection with tan shoes and the other for use in connection with black shoes. The mounting of the brushes to be hereinafter described aims to provide means whereby either set of brushes may be shifted from one set of foot'rests to the other or vice versa in order to eliminate the necessity of the customerhavingto select a certain booth forttan shoesor'blaek shoes. To accomplish this a pair of transversely disposed overhead supporting rails 30 and 31 are secured at their opposite ends to the brace rails 15, said supporting rails 30 and 31 being arranged parallel to each other. A carriage 32 having a sheave 33 mounted on one of the supporting rails is provided for each brush and the yoke 28 thereof is suspended from the carriage by a flexible cable or wire 34. A flexible tubular conduit 35 is suspended from each carriage 32and is suitably connected at its lower end to the yoke 28, the cable or wire 34 extendingthrough the conduit 35. which conduit is retained at its upper end against rotation. Suspensioumeans for each set of-brushes are connected at their upper ends by a chain 36 wherebysaid set orpair will be moved together and limited against separation. The suspension means is so arranged as to dispose the manipulating handles 29 of the brushes from opposite sides whereby the op erator may conveniently manage the brushes during thebrushing operation. The flexible COIldllltS 35, in addition to housing the supporting cables 34 provide a. housing means for the wiring to the motors. The carriage for each set or pair of brushes are mounted on separate supporting rails whereby either set may be shifted from one side of the booth to the other without interference with each other. It is also necessarythat either operator'may control the operation of the .ing connected by the branch wires 48 and 49 to one binding post of one set of motors A and thelatter by the branch wires50 and 51 to one binding post of the other set of motors B. The stationary switch elements 52 and 53 are connected in parallel by the branch wires 55 and 56 to the opposite binding post of the motors of the set B. The

ed to engage.

stationary contact members 57 and 58 are connected in parallel by the circuit wire 59, which in turn is connected by the branch wires 60 and 61 to the opposite binding post of each motor of the set A. By this arrangement either operator may start and stop either set of brushes by manipulating his respective toot control switch 63. By reference to Fig. 4 the left hand operator may start the set of motors Aby manipulating his foot lever to bring the movablecontact member 42 in engagement "with the stationary contact member 57 By doing this current will flow from the source of sup ly through the supply wire 40, the mova le switch element 42, stationary-switch element 57, circuit wire 59, branc'h wires60 and 61 through one set of binding posts to the other sets of binding posts, thence through the branch wires 48 and 49, through the branch wire 46, and the return wire 45. Likewise the righthand operator may operate the same set of motors A by manipulating the foot control lever to bring the movable eon tact element 43 into engagement with the stationary contact element 58,in which in stance current will flow through the supply wire 40, contact elements 43 and 58, circuit wire 59, branch wires 60 and fil, throughthe motor binding post to the branch wires 48 and 49,'branch wire 46, and return wire 45. To operate the setof motors B the left hand operator Will manipulate the foot control lever to bring the movable switch element 41 into engagement with the stationary switch element 52. This will close the circuit and permit current 'to flow through the supply wire 40, switch elementskll and 52, circuit wire 54, branch wires 55 -and 56, through the motor binding-posts of the set B, through the return'branch wires 50and 51, the branch wire 47, and theneethrough the return wire45. Theright'hand operator may accomplish the same result by manipulating the foot lever to bring themovable switch element 44 inengagement with the stationary switch element 53. Preferably the wiringforeach set of meters is arranged in an insulated conduit 65 which extends through. the center upright,'said upright being constructed of tubular material or piping. Likewise the wiring toeach foot controlled switch element'is arranged in a conduit66 which istrainedithrough the cent r upright andthe source of supply is arranged in an insulated conduit extending through one of the horizontal stringers 22. Inorder to provide means for holdingthe bruslrsets in an out of-the wayposition when not in use, suitablehooks 68am provided on rods 69 extending from the uprights to therear wall, with which hooks the yokes are adapt- In. operation either set of brusheanmy be shifted fromv one side of the booth to the other and arranged in juxtaposition With respect to the foot rest of either set at the desire of the operator. Likewise either operator may start or stop either oi brushes by the wiring system hereinl'iei'ore set forth, and it will thus be seen that the brushing operation and the polishing of shoes is greatly facilitated by the rapidly rotating brushing elements.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In a shoe polishing apparatus, the combination with a plurality of adjacent pairs of foot rests, and power driven brushing elements arranged in. pairs, of means for mounting and suspending said brushing elements from an overhead support to permit of the shifting of said brushing elements into juxtaposition to the foot rests, and independent means adjacent each pair of foot rests for selectively controlling the operation of said pairs of brushing elements.

2. A multi-operator shoe polishing machine comprising spaced sets of foot rests, spaced parallel rails extending above said foot rests, carriages mounted on said rails, a pair of flexible elements suspended from each of said carriages, a motor connected to each of said flexible elements, and cleaning elements connected to said motors, said carriages being movable on said rails whereby any pair of said motors and the cleaning elements of the same may be positioned adjacent any set of foot rests.

3. A multi-operator shoe polishing ma chine comprising spaced sets of foot rests, spaced parallel rails extending above said foot rests, carriages mounted on said rails, a pair of flexible elements suspended from each or said carriages, a motor connected to each of said flexible elements, and cleaning elements connected to said motors, said carriages being movable on said rails Whereby any pair of said motors and the cleaning elements of the same may be positioned adjacent any set of foot rests, and foot control means whereby any pair of the motors may be operated from a point adjacent any set of foot rests.

a. In a shoe polishing apparatus, the combination with a foot supporting means and power driven brushing elements arranged in pairs, of means for mounting and suspending said brushing elements from an overhead support to permit of the shifting of said elements into juxtaposition to the foot supporting means, and independent means adjacent the foot supporting means for selectively controlling the operation of said pairs of brushing elements.

REGINALD V. RIGKOORD. 

